Levidoptera

Moths

Moths make up the other half of the Levidoptera order. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be about 160,000 species of moth (nearly ten times the number of species of butterfly), with thousands of species yet to be described. Most species of moth are nocturnal, but there are crepuscular and diurnal species. Moths have various types of antennae but the antennae of butterflies are clubbed. There are many kinds of moths and they range in size from very tiny micromoths to the large atlas moth. Moths seem to me to be at the bottom of the insect food chain as they are often preyed upon by other insects. While most moths are nocturnal the ones that are active during the day usually use mimicry to evade predators. Thank you to Mr. Eisner, creator of Fauna of Suburban Boston for helping me identify some of the moths on this page.

Synanthedon novaroensis, Douglas-Fir Pitch Moth Polka Dot Wasp Moth Cisseps fulvicollis - Yellow Collared Scape Moth Anagrapha falcifera, Celery looper moth Atteva aurea, Ailanthus Webworm Moth Euclea delphinii, Spiny Oak-slug Moth Hummingbird Moth Amphion floridensis.jpg

Caterpillars

Manduca rustica Xylophanes tersa Selenisa sueroides, Pale Edged Selenisa Moth